Hello. This is 6 Minute English from
BBC Learning English. I'm Neil.
And I'm Sam.
Tell me, Sam, do you think Neil Armstrong
really landed on the Moon
in 1969? I mean,
that must be fake news!
And who shot JFK? Surely the CIA
were involved? Unless it was
the giant lizards controlling
the government!
Oh dear! It looks like reading online
conspiracies has sent Neil down
the rabbit hole - an expression
used to describe a situation which
seems interesting and uncomplicated
at first but ends up becoming
strange, confusing and hard to escape
from. Luckily in this programme
we'll be hearing
some advice on how to talk
to people who've become convinced
by online conspiracies.
It seems that during times of crisis,
as people feel uncertain and fearful,
they actively
look for information to feel more secure.
Nowadays this information is often
found online, and while there are
reliable facts out there,
there's also a lot of misinformation.
Somebody who's the target of many
conspiracy theories is Microsoft's
Bill Gates and our
BBC fact checkers have been busy
debunking - or exposing - some of the
more bizarre accusations
made against him. But what strange
behaviour has Bill Gates been
accused of recently? That's
my quiz question for today. Is it:
a) being a member of the
Chinese Communist
Party?, b) being an alien lizard? or,
c) being involved in the
assassination of JFK?
They all sounds pretty silly to me but I'll
guess b) being an alien lizard.
OK, Sam, if you say so! We'll find out the
answer later. Now, I'm not the
only one who's
been doing some internet research.
Ever since the outbreak of the Covid
pandemic there's
been an avalanche of online conspiracies
linking Bill Gates to the coronavirus.
Here's Marianna
Spring, presenter of BBC World Service
programme, Trending, to tell us more:
The Microsoft founder is a rich
and powerful person and he's funded
research into vaccines
- that's why he's become a target.
Some of the claims are bonkers - that
he wants to
use the virus as a pretext to microchip
everyone in the world. Others say
a vaccine would actually
kill people rather than save their lives.
These ideas are without any evidence.
We should
treat them with the disdain they deserve.
Some conspiracies claim that Bill Gates
wants to implant microchips
in people and that he's
using the coronavirus as a pretext - a
pretend reason for doing
something that is used to
hide the real reason.
Claims like these are described as
bonkers - an informal way
to say silly, stupid or
crazy, and should therefore be treated
with disdain - disliking
something because you
feel it does not deserve your
attention or respect.
But while you might not believe
such bonkers theories yourself,
it's not hard to see how
people looking for answers can get
sucked down online rabbit holes.
So how would you deal some someone
spreading baseless conspiracies
about Covid vaccines
or Bill Gates? The BBC's Trending
programme spoke to
Dr Jovan Byford, senior psychology
lecturer with the Open University, about it.
He thinks it's important to separate
the conspiracy from the theorist.
The former, the belief,
we have to dismiss, but the latter, the
person, is more complex.
Here's BBC Trending's presenter,
Marianna Spring, again to sum up
Dr Byford's advice:
How do you talk to someone who's at risk
of being sucked into the rabbit hole? First,
establish a basis of understanding.
Approach them on their own terms
and avoid sweeping
dismissals or saying, 'you're wrong!'. Try
not to judge. And try to get to the bottom
of the often legitimate concern at the
heart of the conspiracy.
Present them with facts
and research. Try to do this neutrally.
You can't force anyone to change
their mind but
you can make sure they
have valid information.
While some conspiracies may
be harmless, others are more dangerous.
People thinking that vaccines
will kill them might worsen the
coronavirus situation worldwide,
so we need to get to
the bottom of these claims - discover
the real but sometimes hidden
reason why something
happens.
A good way to engage people in
discussion is to avoid sweeping
claims or statements
- speaking or writing about things in a way
that is too general and does not carefully
consider all the relevant facts.
And by doing so calmly and neutrally
you might persuade them to reconsider
the funny business
Bill Gates is supposedly involved with.
Ah yes, you mean our quiz question.
I ask you what Bill Gates
has recently been
accused of by conspiracy theorists.
And I said b) being an alien lizard.
But thinking about it now,
that seems pretty unlikely!
In fact, the answer was c) being a member
of the Chinese Communist Party.
OK. So today we've been hearing
advice on how to deal
with online conspiracy theories,
some of which are totally bonkers - silly,
stupid and crazy - or involve
a complicated
pretext - a pretend reason used
to hide someone's true motivation.
These can be treated with disdain - dislike
because they are unworthy
of our attention
or respect.
But with so many conspiracies online, it's
easy to get lost down the
rabbit hole - intrigued
by a situation which seems interesting
but ends up confusing and
hard to escape from.
It's important to get to the bottom
of these theories - discover the real
but hidden reason
behind them.
And to present people with facts,
avoiding sweeping - or over-generalised -
statements.
That's all for this programme.
Goodbye for now!
Bye bye!